Illuminated sign.



H. MULHOLLAND.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

-APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 1, 1911.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

13 l4 \I9 I IIVVENTOR A FOR/V575 HUGH MULHOLLAND, OF'CINCINNATI, OHIO.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

Application filed September 1, 1911. Serial No. 647,201.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUG/H MULHoLLAND, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Cincinnati, Hamilton county, State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Illuminated Signs, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invent-ion relates to that type of illuminated sign in which a designor the outline of one is formed by a series of separate illuminatedpoints and the illumination is so controlled that the object appears tomove. This is often embodied in the form of a circle of electric lightbulbs representing a wheel and by turning on and off the individuallights around the circle, the wheel may be made to appear to rotate.

The object of my improved construction is to secure far more realisticresults and at the same time render the operation more mystifying.

In carrying out 'my invention I employ hollow bulbs secured inperforations in a casing so as to form the desired design, and eachsimulating an electric light bulb. Each is open at the rear so as to beilluminated from a'source of light in the casing. This source of lightwhich is preferably an electric light is caused to move along in therear of the hollow bulbs and illuminate'them in succession. This gives amuch more realistic appearance of design than if each bulb electriclight and its current was alternately turned on and off. Furthermorethe'same effect can be produced with the expenditure of far lesselectric current and therefore at less cost. To render the sign stillmore effective and at the same time very mystifying I employ a pluralityof the movable electric lights and between each one andthe adjacent wallbearing the hollow bulbs is interposed a color screen movable with itscorresponding electric light. Thus each hollow bulb will be illuminatedfirst by light rays 'of one color and then another, and as, to thecasual observer, each bulb appears to be aseparate electric light it isnot apparent how the color can be changed. Also the actual .movement ofthe different color screens and electric lights along the line of bulbs,although concealed from view, aids verymaterially in giving theimpression that the deactual movement of the were an actual sign formedby the hollow bulbs actually moves. a

For amore detailed disclosure of the preferred embodiment of myinvention referonce is to be had to the accompanying drawing which formsa part of this specification, and in which similar reference charactersindicate corresponding parts in the different views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front View of a sign constructed in accordance with myinvention, a portion of the front wall being broken away, to show a parton the line 1-1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a central "vertical section on theline 2.2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a detail section similar to a portionof Fig. 2 but on an enlarged scale.

In myimproved sign Iemploy a casing 10 of any shape or size dependentupon the character of the display matter and the details of the movingparts employed. Inthe drawing I have illustrated this casing as beingrectangular and having a wall'll for the display matter. If the sign isto be supported against a wall or in such a position that only one facecan be seen I would employ only oneof the walls 11, but if the sign isto be so positioned that it can be seen from both sides then theopposite wall 12- maybe I made substantially identical with the wall 11The wall '11 is formed of any suitable opaque material, for instance,sheet metal and the design constituting the display matter is formed byrows of perforations through the Wall. The outer surface of the wall maybe painted or otherwise ornamented to com plete or improve theappearance of the design. A simple form of design may be produced byarranging the perforations in .a

circle and two or more concentric circles may be employed. If the signisto be used for advertising automobile tires, wheels or other likebodies, a picture of the tire, wheel or the like could be painted on thewall 11 and two or more rows of perforations formed along circular partsof the illustrations In the drawing, I have illustrated the wall 11 asprovided with two concentric rows of perforations and the outlines of anautomobile tire, but have not shown any drawing or painting of the tire.Within each perforation or aperture I secure a hollow bulb 13 of suchform and size as to simulate a small electric light bulb. Each bulb ishollow and during the rotation of the-wheel.

the bulbs I preferably formeach open at the rear and is rigidly securedwithin its correspondingperforation. For securing with a threaded neck14 adapted to be screwed into a collar 15 rigid with the wall 11. Thispermits any bulb to be easily removed or replaced and at the same timeforms a substantially water tight joint. The "collar may have aninwardly directed flange at its inner end to support a 'rubber'gasket orwasher 30 against which the end of the bulb may be screwed.

Within the casing I provide illuminating means so mounted as to permitof bodil movement past the rear ends of the bulbs so as to illuminatethe latter in, succession along the row or rows. If the bulbs 13 bearranged in the form of one or more circles then I mount theilluminating means to rotate about a center coincident with the centerof the circle. As shown, I support two wheels upon an axle 16 at rightangles to the walls 11 and 12, one of the wheels carrying illuminatingmeans for the bulbs of the-wall 11 and the other carrying illuminatingmeans for the bulbs of the wall 12. The details of I construction of thewheels except in so far as the illuminating means and color screens areconcerned is unimportant. As shown each wheel has a hub 17 secured tothe axle and a series of radial spokes 18 in the form of hollow tubes.Each spoke, at its outer end carries a box or compartment 19. The boxesor compartments are supported atsuch distances from the axle 16 as tocome directly in the rear of and closely adjacent to the bulbs 13 andwithin each box or compartment is an illuminating device 20 preferablyin the form of an electric light bulb. The boxes are closed at the sidesand rear but permit the light from the bulb 20 to shine through thebulbs 13. Any suitable means may be employed for rotating the wheels asfor instance a small electric motor 21 belted to a pulley 22 on the axleand any suitable means may be employed for conducting the current to theelectric light bulb not shown in any detail these parts as they involvenothingmore than a wiring plan readily installed by any skilledelectrician.

have shown a collar 23 on the shaft and connected to insulated wires 24leading to and through the spokes to the electric light. A brush 25contacts with the collar during the rotation of the latter and permitsthe continuous delivery of current. The return may be by separate wiresor the casing may .be the return circuit.

In the operation of the device the wheels are caused to rotate sothat'the bulbs 20 constituting the illuminating means will move alongthe rear ends of the bulbs 13 and illuminate them in succession. Theilluminating means is concealed from view but the bulbs 18. The

I have actual movement of this illuminating means, and the illuminatingof the adjacent bulbs in succession givesthe observer the impressionthat the circle of bulbs is actually rotating. To make this impressionmore realistic and at the same time to give the design an appearancedifiicult to explain by one not familiar with the principle ofoperation, I employ a series of color screens in connection withelectric lights 20. As shown each box or compartment 19 has a colorscreen ex tending across the face thereof toward the adjacent wallbearing the bulbs 13 so that the light from the illuminating means 20must pass through the screen to reach the color screen may be of anysuitable material as for instance colored glass, and may be secured inany suitable manner. To obtain the rich color efi'ect desired, and atthe same time to reduce the liability of breakage I preferably form eachcolor screen of a sheet of gelatin 26, held and supported between twosheets of transparent mica 27 and 28. The three sheets may be" held inplace by a removable frame or collar 29. In the form shown I employ fourboxes or compartments for each wheel and may thus employ four colorscreens of different colors. If one color screen be green another red athird yellow and the fourth purple, each bulb 13 will be illuminated bylight rays of the four different colors in succession, so that to thecasual observer each bulb 13 which appears to be an electric light bulbwill emit light rays of several colors. This is impossible with simpleelectric lights and therefore the efl'ect produced upon the casualobserver is mystifying and the sign comm ands attention. The use of thescreens of different colors also aids very materially in giving theimpression that the design actually moves. The attention will naturallycenter on the bulbs appearing to be of one particular c'olor, forinstance green, and as the "green screen moves the eye will naturallyfollow the bulbs illuminated by the green rays and therefore the eyewill travel around and around the design and the observer will readilybelieve that the entire design is rotating.

. Various changes may be made in the details of construction and thearrangement of parts within the scope of my invention as defined in theappended claims, as the same effect could be produced by other mechanisms than the specific one illustrated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. An illuminated sign having a wall provided with a circular row ofapertures arranged -to form display matter, bulbs projecting outwardlyfrom said apertures, and simulating electric light bulbs, a series ofilluminating means in the rear of said wall screen between said andmounted to rotate about an axis 'substantially coincident with thecenter of said row and past said apertures and a color wall and saidilluminating means, and movable with the latter.

2. An illuminated sign having a casing including a wall having a seriesof perforations arranged in a curved row and'a box adjacent to the rearside of said wall and movable along said row, said box containing anelectric light and having opaque side walls.

3. A casing having an apertured front wall the apertures vbeing arrangedto form display matter, a wheel within said casing and having a seriesof boxes or compartments each having opaque side and back walls, acolored screen extending across the side of each box or compartmenttoward said front wall, an electric light within each box or compartmentand means for rotat ing said wheel.

4'. A casing of electric lights movable along said rows in successionand a separate colored screen between each light and said wall andmovable with its respective light.

5. A casing having a front wall provided with a row of apertures forminga circle, hollow bulbs secured at said apertures and simulating electriclight bulbs, a wheel rotatably mounted within said casing and having aseries otboxes 0r compartments in the rear of said circle of apertures,each box or compartment facing toward said wall and a separate electriclight in each box or compartment for illuminating said bulbs insuccession along the circle as said wheel rotates,

electric li having an apertured front wall, the apertures being arrangedto form whereby the circle of bulbs is caused to appear. to rotate.

6. A casing having oppositely disposed walls each provided with acircular row of apertures, hollow bulbs secured within said aperturesand projecting outwardly, from opposite sides of said casing, twoseparate 'wheels within said casing both rotatable about an axissubstantially coincident with the centers of said circular rows, anelectric motor within sald'casmg for rotating said wheels, each of saidwheels having aseries of compartments opening toward its correspondingwall and disposed adjacent to the perforations'of said. wall, and aseparate ht within each compartment.

7. An il uminated-sign having vided with two concentric circularrows ofapertures, a wheel in, the ,rear of said wall mounted to rotate about anaxis substantiallycoincident with the center of said rows, and a seriesof illuminating means cara wall proried by said wheel and movable alongsaid' rows parallel with said wall during the rotation of said wheel. v

8. An illuminated sign having a wall provided with a circular row' ofapertures, projectin and simu atingelectric bulbs, and a series ofilluminating means in the rear of said wall and mounted to rotate aboutan axis substantially coincident with the center of said row and pastsaid apertures. v In testimony whereof have signed my name to thisspecification in the presence '0 two subscribing witnesses.

HUGH MULHOLLAND. Witnesses: 1

JOHN H. WILSON, TILLY E. WILsoN.

bulbs outwardly from said apertures I

